Over and Under the Snow has an Illustrator!

If you were reading my blog back in April, you might remember this post where I was all over-the-moon about my picture book, OVER AND UNDER THE SNOW, being acquired by Chronicle Books. It’s about a girl on a cross country ski trip who discovers the secret kingdom of animals living under the winter snow. Today, that snowy story is another step closer to being a real live book. My editor emailed to let me know while contracts aren’t quite signed yet, I can go ahead and share the news that we have an illustrator on board!

You might know him from his artwork on this cover…

It’s Christopher Silas Neal – an artist whose work I absolutely love. I’ve been bouncing off the walls ever since his name came up in the illustrator discussions. The sample spread he created for SNOW is stunning, and I’m thrilled that he’s going to illustrate this book.

Just wrapped up a presentation for Eastern Kentucky University Summer institute & we talked about the importance of curiosity & empathy in fighting racism & other kinds of bigotry. Here are some resources I shared, for attendees & others who are interested. @EmilyZuccaro (thread)

Words matter. And I appreciate this piece from @Poynter Institute on active vs passive voice. This is also important to think about when we're writing about history & talking about people who "were enslaved" instead of saying who actively enslaved them. https://t.co/iK22kRiC7j

Welcome to the Ranger in Time Book Club!
I'm author Kate Messner, and with Scholastic's permission, I'll be sharing a chapter-by-chapter read-aloud of RANGER IN TIME: RESCUE ON THE OREGON TRAIL here on my blog over the coming weeks. I'm so glad you've found your way here!
Each Thursday by around 12pm ...

Welcome to Countdown to CHIRP, a wonderfully nerdy blog series about the writing process behind my February 2020 MG novel, CHIRP. Here’s a little about the book from Bloomsbury, so you’ll understand what I’m talking about when I share all the nitty-gritty writing and revision details…
When Mia moves to Vermont ...

Welcome to Countdown to CHIRP, a wonderfully nerdy blog series about the writing process behind my February 2020 MG novel, CHIRP. Here’s a little about the book from Bloomsbury, so you’ll understand what I’m talking about when I share all the nitty-gritty writing and revision details…
When Mia moves to Vermont ...

Welcome to Countdown to CHIRP, a wonderfully nerdy blog series about the writing process behind my February 2020 MG novel, CHIRP. Here’s a little about the book from Bloomsbury, so you’ll understand what I’m talking about when I share all the nitty-gritty writing and revision details…
When Mia moves to Vermont ...

Welcome to Countdown to CHIRP, a wonderfully nerdy blog series about the writing process behind my February 2020 MG novel, CHIRP. Here’s a little about the book from Bloomsbury, so you’ll understand what I’m talking about when I share all the nitty-gritty writing and revision details…
When Mia moves to Vermont ...